What Will Trigger the Next World War? With Peter Apps

How close are we to a new global conflict? In this episode, journalist Hannah Lucinda Smith speaks with global defence commentator Peter Apps about his new book The Next World War: The New Age of Global Conflict and the Fight to Stop It. From Ukraine to Taiwan, and from cyber warfare to space, Apps argues that the foundations of a new kind of global conflict are already in place. Drawing on reporting from the corridors of power in Washington, London, Moscow and Beijing, as well as frontline perspectives, Apps maps the fault lines shaping today’s geopolitical landscape. He explores the return of great power rivalry, the rise of ‘hybrid’ warfare, and the growing role of technology in reshaping how conflicts are fought. At its centre is a stark question: are these tensions containable, or are they leading towards a wider and more dangerous confrontation? Apps sets out how governments, militaries and societies are preparing for the possibility of large-scale conflict — and what might still be done to prevent escalation. Peter Apps is a global defence commentator at Reuters. He is the author of The Next World War: The New Age of Global Conflict and the Fight to Stop It. His podcast, Battle for the Next World War, will release soon. Hannah Lucinda Smith is a journalist and foreign correspondent reporting on global politics and conflict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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What Will Trigger the Next World War? With Peter Apps is an episode from Intelligence Squared by Intelligence Squared.

This episode is 32:00 long.

This episode was published on May 1, 2026.

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